Description
Introduction: Food systems and agricultural planning in colonised nations were frequently restructured by colonial powers attempting to maximise their own profits. This often involved focusing production on a limited number of cash crops that could be exported, at the expense of more diverse foods consumed by local populations. In settler colonial contexts such as Canada, where traditional food systems were radically restructured to both maximise economic outputs and cater to the needs and norms of settler populations, this dynamic becomes even more complex, with serious repercussions for health and sustainability. In this analysis, we aimed to identify key dynamics linking colonialism and the contemporary food system in Canada and gather stakeholders’ perspectives on priority actions to mitigate the impacts of colonialism after consideration of these dynamics.
Methodology: In this study, we combined data from the literature with stakeholder perspectives to develop causal loop diagrams (CLDs), a form of systems map used to represent causal theory about key system-level factors and the interconnections between them. First, we conducted a rapid literature review to develop a preliminary CLD. From this CLD, we extracted six sub-systems representing different facets of the role of colonialism in shaping the Canadian food system. Second, we conducted key informant interviews with stakeholders working in research and practice in the Canadian food system, gathering their perspectives on the key impacts of colonialism and validating the sub-systems by sharing them with key informants and refining them in line with their feedback. At the end of each interview, following reflection and discussion on the sub-system, we also asked key informants to propose priority actions to mitigate the impacts of colonialism on food system outcomes including health and sustainability.
Results and discussion: Sub-systems focused on a range of colonial dynamics, including: the exclusion of Indigenous and racialised settler communities from agricultural land ownership, food justice organisations and movements, and decision-making about resource use; the role of settler expansion and colonial policy in displacing Indigenous communities and curtailing traditional food practices; the important contributions of traditional foods to diet quality, food security and connection to culture; and the close ties between colonialism and capitalism in shaping a food system that is predominantly focused on extraction and profit. While stakeholders perceived the Canadian food system as inherently colonial, key actions to mitigate the impacts of colonialism included centring the perspectives and leadership of Indigenous communities in the management of land and other natural resources; developing a more holistic approach to programmes and funding that avoided putting different food system areas into siloes; and recognising the harms posed by current food production practices in order to re-orient the food system to improve health and sustainability.
Conclusions: Canada’s colonial past and present continue to have far-reaching impacts in shaping its food system, causing serious harms to health and environmental sustainability, as well as important food system outcomes including culture, food sovereignty and livelihoods. Mitigating these impacts will require substantial transformation of the food system, centred around values of holism, stewardship and sustainability.
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